In late August, the Hanover YMCA (Pennsylvania, USA) assisted one of its longtime members in celebrating his 100th birthday.
You would never guess that from watching Savino pump iron in the men’s wellness center at the Hanover YMCA, where Savino has shown up to work out nearly every single weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. since 1983.
“They say practice makes perfect, and I’ve been practicing for a very long time,” Savino said, laughing, while banging out 45 reps of a bicep curl.
“Most people, when they get older, give up,” Savino said. “You know, it’s an effort to come in here every morning. An effort to go through that, those machines take a lot of effort and people don’t want to extend that effort. They just wanna sit in their chair and watch television. So I come in here and spend three hours here every morning.”
The fitness fanatic’s weight has remained constant for the past 35 years.
Savino adheres to a strict five-day schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he lifts weights. Aerobic exercises are performed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The regular gym-goer walks two miles on the treadmill and rides an eight-mile stationary bike.
“I used to joke that he worked out harder than my 20-year-old sons,” Gary McClure, a retired employee of the YMCA said. “They’d just shake their head at that and say ‘hey!’ But you gotta see it to believe it.”
Savino is no stranger to hard work.
During WWII, he taught pilots how to fly B-17 Flying Fortresses. He continued to fly planes privately after the war.
He used to deliver papers to former President Calvin Coolidge as a child. He also met Charles Lindbergh after he flew across the Atlantic, as well as the mechanic who taught Amelia Earhart about plane engineering.
Life eventually led Savino to Hanover, where he worked in the food industry and finished his career consulting.
Savino, like the gym, did not give up his profession easily; he refused to retire until he was in his 80s.
The YMCA employees have enjoyed getting to know him over the last 39 years and look forward to many more.
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